Why is the Dairy Industry Trying to Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes?
These days it’s increasingly essential to be conscious of what you’re feeding yourself, and your family. Reading labels has become a necessity . . . and given the confusing labels out there, it is not a simple task. Learning to distinguish “organic” from “non-organic,” making sure your choices are chemical/antibiotic/drug-free, and avoiding unhealthful ingredients has almost become a science. Some people even have a strict rule of thumb: if it has more than seven ingredients, they’re not buying it.
Why is being diligent so important? Think ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, MSG, and aspartame. You know the dangers of these toxic additives – and if you don’t, you need to start some self-education on how damaging they can be to your health. I say “self-education” because the big boys in the food industry are not going to do one single thing to look out for you. In fact, they are doing the very opposite – petitioning to include unlabeled ingredients, such as aspartame, in everyday foods like milk and other dairy products.
The Initiative
According to our sources, two parties are in cahoots to push this initiative through: the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). They have filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the agency “amend the standard of identity” for milk and 17 other dairy products.
What this means is they can put aspartame and other harmful sweeteners such as sucralose into the selected dairy products and not disclose it.
Hold the phone! They’re putting your health in dire danger and they don’t have to tell you about it?
If this amendment would pass, anywhere you see the ingredient “milk” on a label it may or may not contain toxic artificial sweeteners. But YOU WILL NEVER KNOW because neither the sweetener itself NOR the indication of “low-calorie” or “reduced-calorie” will be present (low, or no-calorie mentions are almost always connected with artificial sweeteners).
Why the Push?
The IDFA and the NMPF would have you believe that they have your best interest and the best interest of your children at heart. Really? Here are just a few of the things they have to say:
The proposed amendment(s) would “promote more healthful eating practices and reduce childhood obesity by providing for lower-calorie flavored milk products.”
The proposed amendment(s) would “promote honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace.”
“Consumers can more easily identify the overall nutritional value of milk products that are flavored with non-nutritive sweeteners if the labels do not include such claims.”
Sounds like a lot of doublespeak to me, don’t you think? And it sounds like what the IDFA and NMPF are truly worried about is their bottom line when it comes to financial success. Especially when you consider all of the health dangers that accompany ingesting aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.
Dangers of Aspartame and Other Sweeteners
It’s no secret; studies on artificial sweeteners have been going on for years. And while there have been conflicting results in some of those studies, the overwhelming evidence points to the fact that artificial sweeteners are simply bad news.
Here are just some of the side effects reported from use of artificial sweeteners:
Not only that, but severe aspartame toxicity can actually mimic the symptoms of grave health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Lupus, Arthritis, Lymphoma, Hypothyroidism, Lyme Disease, Parkinson’s… and the list goes on and on.
Some studies even link the use of sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose to the development of certain cancers and birth defects. The National Cancer Institute refutes this claim; but it has to make you question the safety of these sweeteners… if there is even one study that has determined a link between the two, why would you continue to put yourself at risk?
If none of the above gives you the least bit of pause, perhaps this will: aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent. So, basically, you’re putting a nearly nerve agent-equivalent into your body every time you drink a diet soda . . . or if this amendment passes, potentially anytime you eat or drink something with “milk” on the label.
What Can YOU Do?
You don’t have to sit idly by and hope that this amendment doesn’t go through. There are a number of online petitions you can sign to help prevent this from happening. You can also write the FDA directly and express your concern over this amendment. Online, or written submissions to the FDA can be made here.
Or, write your congressman/congresswoman. Your health and the health of your family are at stake, so don’t wait another minute before you take action.
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